Junior Boks determined to play for each other at U20 World Championship

De Villiers hailed the unity in the squad as they prepare to do battle for the trophy in their own backyard, while also stressing they were well-prepared and ready for the battle ahead.

The Junior Boks will kick off their U20 Championship campaign against Georgia at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on Saturday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 19h00.

Captain De Villiers said the team made the decision to "play for each other" when they assembled for the first time a couple of months ago and they became a closely-knit unit after that.

"That will take us a long way, I know, as the guys will really give it their all for the player next to you and that is something that will make this team a tough one to overcome," he said.

"We will not give up, because that means you give up on your teammate. And we promised each other that will not happen.

"We will be playing in front of family and friends and hopefully a lot of supporters of the team," he added. "That is going to give us energy, I know. We are lucky to be the hosts and want to make the most of that unique opportunity. "

De Villiers reckons it will be a well-prepared team that will front up to Georgia: "We had a good look at what they bring to the game and we planned accordingly.

"Georgia, like every other team here, came to win the trophy, so we cannot allow our standards to drop against anyone. They are physical and get a lot of energy from set phase play, so we need to counter that."

The Junior Bok captain also confirmed their own ambitions in the tournament, which is to play in the final on 14 July.

"That decision was not taken yesterday, but the day we got together as a group," he said.

"And since then, we worked really hard to be the best-prepared team we can be when the moment arrives. And that moment is tomorrow in Stellenbosch, where we want to set a standard that will guide us through the rest of the tournament. "

Junior Springboks - 15 Hakeem Kunene, 14 Jurenzo Julius, 13 Katlego Letebele (vice-captain), 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Masande Mtshali, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Abulele Ndabambi, 7 Ghudian van Reenen, 6 Paul de Villiers (captain), 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Coetzee Le Roux, 3 Mawande Mdanda, 2 Juann Else, 1 Phatu Ganyane.

Replacements: 16 SJ Kotze, 17 Corné Lavagna, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Jannes Potgieter, 20 Gcinokuhle Mdletshe, 21 Neil Le Roux, 22 Damian Markus, 23 Michael Annies.

Venue: Danie Craven Stadium, StellenboschDate: Saturday, 24 June 2023Kick-off: 19h00Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)TV: SuperSport (Grandstand)